Demons Dreaming
by greaserslady
Summary: In a world that will eat you alive if you allow it, their city formed alliances to maintain peace and order. When Anastasia is unexpectedly ripped out of her boring, but safe, life, she needs to adapt to her new surroundings in order to survive. But first, she needs to learn how to survive with Eric.


Anastasia scrubbed the grey dresses until her fingers were more wrinkled than the skin of the oldest person in Abnegation. And then she scrubbed some more. The laundry was an ongoing chore, whether they had fancy clothes or not. As plain as they appeared, they made sure they were clean and free of stains and tears.

And no one could get a blood stain out quite as well as the eighteen-year-old Anastasia.

The Fredrick family had run the wash service for as many generations as anyone could remember. It was a pretty important aspect of their community, considering their role as donors for Dauntless.

It was no secret, not for a couple hundred years now, that the reason the brave faction chose to live underground was because of their sensitivity to the sunlight. You see, they're vampires. Creatures who appear and act completely human apart from their immortality, superior strength and speed, and that never ending thirst for blood.

When the supernatural creatures first made themselves known to the human population, there was mass chaos. Riots, lynchings, slaughters, it was madness and everyone was losing. Finally the leaders on all sides sat down and drew up a peace treaty. Each group would have a role in their society, and ever since they've thrived.

The humans who were satisfied with serving the Dauntless as their food supply became the Abnegation. Each adult member donated blood, either through blood bags or personal feedings, to keep the Dauntless strong. In return, the Dauntless maintained peace throughout the city.

There were humans who opposed being fed upon and who were more outspoken with being looked at as a food source. They became the group known as Candor, for their blunt tongues. Their responsibility to the city was to use their honesty to keep the Dauntless in check, never taking too much power.

Another group of supernatural beings that came out of the shadows was the werewolves, who liked keeping to themselves, thank you very much. They were happy to remain on the outskirts of the city, farming the land and running wild in the woods. Their relationship with Dauntless was shaky at the best of times and each group gave the other a wide berth.

Last but certainly not least, the group that became responsible for all of the city's technology and medical research. Elves, older than even the oldest of the vampires, otherwise know as Erudite. They value knowledge above anything else, even raw emotions like love and hate. Though they appear stuffy, they're generally soft-spoken and calm creatures.

Anastasia didn't fit in with her Abnegation counterparts completely if she was being honest with herself. She loathed her job washing clothes, even if she was good at it. She hated wearing those damn grey dresses even more. Biting her tongue to keep from speaking her mind was the hardest, though. They were supposed to be the kind of people who bent over backwards to please others, particularly Dauntless, but sometimes all she wanted to do was be a little selfish.

She finished the laundry and had everything dried and folded just as the sun sank below the horizon. With her hair a disheveled mess around her head, she stepped outside for a breath of cool air. It was only then that she noticed the buzz of voices coming from the center of Abnegation's community, a few blocks over from her house. As if on cue, an older woman came walking towards her.

"Helen, what's going on?" Anastasia questioned.

Helen frowned slightly. "Dauntless leaders are here. They wish for all adult women not already claimed to gather."

"Their newest leader wants a personal feeder, doesn't he?" Anastasia guessed, to which Helen nodded.

News of Dauntless appointing the youngest leader in their history had reached them yesterday. Apparently the man didn't waste time in using his status to his advantage. Only the leaders of Dauntless were permitted to demand a member of Abnegation to become their own personal supply of blood. Those chosen would leave their lives in Abnegation behind and move to the Dauntless compound so they would always be on-hand for their vampire to feed upon. It was supposed to be an honor to be chosen, but it also had the feeling of being purchased like goods.

Anastasia rolled her eyes and motioned towards the growing voices. "Let's get this over with then, shall we?" She fixed her light blonde hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head as they walked. The fact that she looked like a rag doll that'd been dragged through the dirt didn't escape her, but there wasn't much she could do about it. And to be honest, she didn't particularly care. She was tired, hungry and wanted nothing more than to curl up in a hot bath with a book. Pretty selfish, she knew, but she couldn't help the thoughts entering her mind.

The tall lights in the center of their small community shined down on a group of dark-clothed individuals, their eyes glowing when the light hit them at just the right angle. A cluster of Abnegation women waited nearby, their families and friends hanging back to form a large circle around the two groups. Helen halted at the edge of the circle, aged past the prime of personal feeders, and gave Anastasia a pat on the shoulder as the she made her way to the others.

There was a weight on her as she walked across the clearing to line up with the other women, all aged between eighteen and thirty. She glanced at the vampires only to find each of them watching her intently. A shiver ran down her spine, giving her goosebumps, and her heartbeat picked up when she saw the tallest among them smirk.

Clearly she was the last to arrive because as soon as she took a spot in the line of women, one of the leaders of Dauntless took a step forward.

"Hello, everyone. Most of you probably know me; for those who don't, my name is Max. We're here this evening because our newest leader, Eric, would like to choose one of you lovely women to be his personal donor."

Max was smooth enough to phrase it like any of them actually had a choice in the matter, even though they didn't. Not that most of the Abnegation minded, anyway. The majority of them were more than willing to turn themselves over like a living blood bag. Ever the selfless souls they were.

"Like always, we thank you all kindly for agreeing to provide us with the life source which we need to survive. Eric, you're up," he motioned for the younger vampire to approach them.

Anastasia felt another shiver when she realized Eric was the vampire who had smirked at her. He was handsome, she freely admitted. More handsome than she could remember ever seeing any man. But he was also terrifying. His sheer size would have been intimidating on even a human man, much less a vampire who possessed the strength to rip someone apart. Tattoos covered his neck and arms, while two piercings sat in the skin above one eyebrow.

Eric walked towards them slowly, eyes sweeping over each of them analytically. Anastasia stood with her back straight and her chin tilted up, trying to appear as strong as she could even if she was shaking on the inside. The sound of heavy boots crunching on the gravel under their feet grew closer until the hulking man stood right in front of her.

"What's your name?" he asked, the first time he'd spoken to any of them. His voice was deep and masculine, with an undertone of impatience running through it.

"Anastasia Fredrick," she answered, her light blue eyes meeting his swirling silver ones. She had to tilt her head back quite a bit to look at him and it exposed her whole neck in the process.

"Anastasia," Eric said slowly, as if he was testing out how it sounded on his tongue. He took a deep breath in and smirked down at her, the hint of a fang showing under his lips. "Do you know how incredible you smell?" he asked quietly.

Anastasia raised her eyebrows, not expecting that to come from his mouth. "I imagine I smell like laundry soap and sweat." She didn't mean for it to sound as blunt as it did and she was glad her parents weren't nearby to overhear. No doubt they'd still be tending to those who lived on the outskirts of their society; the Factionless.

Eric grinned then, his two sharp fangs now clearly visible to her. "Your _blood_ , sweetheart. It surprised all of us when you walked into the circle. You haven't donated yet, have you?"

Her cheeks were flushing furiously from him calling her 'sweetheart' and telling her how good her blood smelled. It was becoming obvious to everyone who was going to be chosen as Eric's donor and she was quickly losing her nerve. With a shake of her head, she answered him. "I just turned eighteen last month. My first donation was going to be this week."

"Lucky for me then; I'll be the only one to taste you," he said in a dangerously low voice, the smile gone from his face. He took a step back, allowing her to exhale the breath she'd been holding, and nodded his head back toward the direction she'd come from. "Pack your things and be back here in fifteen minutes."

Anastasia stared at him dumbly. "We're leaving right away? My parents... They aren't here. I need to tell them." She was babbling, glancing around the crowd of Abnegation with tears forming in her eyes.

A strong hand clasped her chin and forced her head up. "Go to your house. Pack your things. Be back here in fifteen minutes."

She swallowed a sob that wanted to be released. Instead, she nodded shakily and walked away from him once he let her go. Helen greeted her at the edge of the clearing and immediately wrapped an arm around the younger woman. Out of everyone in Abnegation, Helen always seemed to understand Anastasia the best; even better than her own parents most of the time. She knew that the same selflessness that ran through most of their friends and family didn't show up as much in the blonde-haired beauty.

"At least you won't have to wear these grey dresses anymore," Helen said, breaking through Anastasia's thoughts. The two exchanged a look before laughing quietly.

"I've never even kissed someone and now he's going to sink his teeth into me," Anastasia whispered as they entered her home. She looked around at her minimal belongings, not sure what she was expected to bring.

Helen moved further into the house and found a bag big enough to fit some things in. "I can't imagine a better looking vampire to be claimed by, deary. Maybe you'll find that you enjoy having him take a little nibble here and there."

"Helen!" Anastasia gasped, snatching the bag out of the older woman's hand. She felt her cheeks heat up and went to the bathroom to pack her brush and hair-ties. From there she moved into her bedroom to grab a few dresses and a spare pair of shoes, as well as undergarments. She didn't have any sentimental trinkets but she made sure to take some books from the table beside her bed.

Standing in her bedroom she felt like she was leaving a part of herself behind. Even if she'd never felt like she fit in with the rest of Abnegation this was still her home. After a moment's hesitation, she folded the quilt from her bed as tightly as she could and squeezed it into the bag.

"You'll tell my parents as soon as they get back?" she asked Helen as they exited the house.

"Of course, darling."

Anastasia took a deep breath in, steadying her voice. "Tell them that I love them. And that hopefully I'll be able to see them soon." Personal donors who left to live with the Dauntless occasionally came back for visits but they were few and far between.

Eric was waiting in the clearing when she reached it once again, looking impatient. The few Abnegation who still milled around approached Anastasia to give her pats on the back and well wishes. It took a few minutes to work her way through them and, after giving Helen a tight hug, she finally came to stand before the large man.

"Ready?" he asked, but didn't give her a chance to reply before he was taking her bag from her hand and marching toward the main road. She hesitated for a brief moment and he sent a look over his shoulder, his silver eyes glowing with a hint of red. Her eyes widened and she quickly caught up with him, walking just a pace behind to a grouping of big, black vehicles.

The rest of the Dauntless who had come along for the trip were already seated in the vehicles and watched closely as Eric loaded her bag into the backseat of the last one in the line. He motioned for her to follow him to the front and opened the passenger-side door. Obviously she was meant to climb in so she did so quickly and just had her feet out of the way as he shut the door. As soon as he was situated in the driver's seat the trucks in front of them pulled away and he followed.

"You're hungry," Anastasia said quietly, glancing over at him. The red beginning to creep into his silver eyes gave away that much and his impatience confirmed it. He wanted to feed.

"Do you always state the obvious?" he asked snidely. His attitude didn't surprise her but it did encourage her to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the ride. Becoming his meal was inevitable; becoming his verbal punching bag could hopefully be avoided.

They pulled into a parking garage that led underground, deeper and deeper until Anastasia began to feel clausterphobic. It was completely dark with only a few lights here and there to illuminate the space. Finally the cars all parked and the vampires within them exited. The only human among them stepped out tentatively, one hand on the car to feel her way around to the front. She heard Eric's irritated sigh just a second before he grasped her arm firmly and tugged her along behind him.

Anastasia's feet struggled to keep up with the pace Eric set as he pulled her through the entrance to their compound. The lighting inside was better than the garage, but still too dim for her to make out everything clearly. They passed what appeared to be shops on the first floor before entering an elevator to ride to a residential area. The other vampires they'd traveled with had dispersed as soon as they entered the compound, no doubt ready to begin their evening now that Eric had his donor.

Eric's apartment was just as dark as the rest of the compound and the human was beginning to sense a theme. When he finally let go of her arm, tossing her bag on the floor by her feet, he flipped a switch and a dim light illuminated the space. It was sparse, almost empty, with only the essentials. A couch, a table, a chair, and a small kitchen filled the large, open room. Off to each side of the main room were doors which she assumed were bedrooms.

"That's your room," Eric pointed to one of the doors. "All of your things are to stay in your room. I don't like clutter. During the day, when I'm sleeping, I expect you to either be sleeping as well or staying quiet. Do not go anywhere without me until I tell you it's safe to do so. Understand?"

Anastasia nodded, afraid to speak with him seeming to grow more irritated by the second. She knew what was coming next, what she was supposed to say. With a deep breath to steel her nerves, she took a step towards him. "Would you like to feed now?"


End file.
